Belton Santos Rivera

Belton, a native of Palawan, Philippines, was born the third of four surviving children to the late Reverend Ben S. Rivera and the late Nenita Santos in the City of Puerto Princesa on February 2, 1969. The illness and subsequent passing of his mother in 1986 spurred him to become a pastor. He studied at the Bethel Bible College (BBC) from where he graduated in 1991. After graduating from the BBC, he became the pastor of a church in Isabela Province until 1992, when he became the youth pastor for the Hundredfold Covenant Assemblies of God (HCAG) and a teacher at Bethel Academy. He then pastored at HCAG’s daughter church in Tirona Village, General Trias, and also planted a house church in Novaliches Village, Quezon City.

Some time in 1996, Belton and some church workers went to China (PRC) to smuggle bibles there. He then moved to Hong Kong in 1999 to pastor at Shalom Fellowship Church until 2002, when he planted and pastored at Evangel Fellowship Church until he moved to Canada in 2005. He served at a church in Windsor, Ontario before bringing his family from the Philippines in 2008, when he became the pastor of House of Praise (HOP) in Ajax, Ontario. He served as the pastor of HOP until 2013 when he became the pastor of Arise International Ministries (AIM; formerly HOP-East, daughter church of HOP) in Whitby, where he served until his passing. In conjunction with his duties at AIM, he would go on to plant a house church in the Brampton-Mississauga area (Arise West) and to revive his parents’ work in his hometown of Linapacan, Palawan (AIM-New Grounds). He became affiliated with the Church Planting Ministries, Incorporated (CPMI), the Associated Gospel Churches (AGC), the Canadian National Baptist Convention (CNBC), and SEND Network while pastoring in Canada.

While serving as the pastor of AIM, Belton also worked first for the Oshawa Clinic Group as a cleaner and then for the Resource Label Group as a Flexo Press Support Technician for two years each. His colleagues in both places will remember him for his positive, hardworking attitude.

Belton will be remembered by his friends and family for his kindness, gentleness, and being a good, loving, and caring husband and father.

Belton is survived by Charisma (Columna), his wife of 27 years, and two children: Matthew and

Philene Amara.

A visitation for Belton will be held Saturday, February 25, 2023 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at Courtice Funeral Chapel, 1587 Highway #2, Courtice, ON L1E 2R7, until time of memorial service in the chapel at 1:30 PM.

Please join the family via Livestream at https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/69675

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.courticefuneralchapel.com for the Rivera family.